Point of sale (POS) refers to the location (i.e., physical location) where a transaction, such as a consumer purchase transaction, occurs. Retailers that sell goods or services purchase or lease equipment to facilitate consumer purchase transactions. A typical retailer uses a computer, a cash drawer, a receipt printer, a barcode scanner, etc., to carry out transactions. Today, all of these components are integrated in electronic cash registers. In addition, retailers that accept cash often have one or more safes, which are typically stored in the facility's back-office. In general, when a cashier ends his/her shift, money within the cashier's register is put into the safe. Money is put into the safe for other reasons. In any event, safes are used to secure the money until the money is withdrawn, which is often carried out by armored car personnel.
In addition to the above-mentioned equipment, retailers now commonly use so-called point-of-sale (POS) electronic funds transfer (EFT) devices to facilitate the processing of credit and debit card transactions. These devices, which generally are portable (i.e., hand-held), have added significant convenience and speed to the retail checkout process.